Search Results for: blog kindergarten teacher arrested for trashy move

Sexual Innuendo Gets Teacher Fired

I don’t know about you, but when I look at the state of Florida on a map, the last thing I see is a phallic symbol. Of course, I haven’t seen science teacher Ryan Haraughty’s recent depiction of the “Sunshine State.” If I did, I might have a better understanding of why Shawnee Mission school district administrators gave Haraughty the boot a couple of weeks ago. According, to the former Mission Valley Middle School teacher his firing was instigated by a drawing and comment he made about the state of Florida. The Kansas teacher says as part of a lesson … Continue reading →

Kindergarten Teacher Arrested for Trashy Move

Hmmm… guess I’ll file this one under: Another reason I’m glad my daughter is attending half-day kindergarten this fall. In addition to not having to take a nap on the classroom floor (though, part of me would have enjoyed being a fly on the wall when my anti-nap drama queen went up against a woman who had 18 other five year olds to cajole into remaining silent for an hour), my daughter will also be skipping lunchtime in the school cafeteria. Subsequently, I will not have to deal with the same situation parents of a Connecticut kindergartener were forced to … Continue reading →

School Food Fight Leads to Jail Time

When you pack your child’s lunch in the morning the last place you consider it will end up is on the wall of the school cafeteria. Unfortunately, that’s exactly where dozens of lunch items stuck after a huge food fight broke out earlier this month at a Chicago middle school. In the end, tuna sandwiches, which were made into torpedoes and apples used as attack weapons, were spattered all over the cafeteria at the Calumet middle-school campus of Perspectives Charter Schools, in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side. Even more disconcerting was the fact that police were called in … Continue reading →

What Annoys You the Most About Back-to-School?

Forget about the Dyson, I should have asked Santa for a label maker for Christmas. Not that the big guy delivered on my uber vacuum Christmas wish (cue Barbie Dream House flashback). Still, I might have had a better chance of scoring the less expensive “mom tool.” It sure would have come in handy a few days ago when I was forced to label nearly 100 individual school supplies. Did I mention I only have one kid… and she’s in kindergarten. HALF-DAY KINDEGARTEN! I’m not here to kvetch about the inordinate amount of items (in my opinion) needed to educate … Continue reading →

Teen Saves Bus Full of Kids

The story about the mom who went nuts on her daughter’s school bus driver failed to reassure me that letting my kid ride in a vehicle full of strangers was a stellar decision. Fortunately, I found solace in another bus blurb about a quick-thinking 16-year-old girl, who saved her fellow riders after the bus driver dropped dead while on duty. Rachel Guzy is being called a “super teen” for saving dozens of lives. According to reports, the New York high school student was riding on a bus along with other kids from a local day camp when the driver lost … Continue reading →

Back-to-School Bedtime Routine: Mommy vs. the Sun

Bittersweet sun, how I loved you. And by loved I mean worshipped. And by worshipped I mean in the unhealthiest ways possible. My love affair with the sun began as a young girl. Growing up in Hawaii, that scorching ball of fire in the sky was a constant companion. Not only did its rays provide me with a luminous glow that made my dingiest white shirts look radiant, but the sun also had a way of warming my inner being. Our adoration for each other deepened after I moved to the Upper Midwest. (Nine-month long Wisconsin winters will do that.) … Continue reading →

Look Who’s Headed Back to School

Your little Johnny is not the only one headed back to class this fall. Imagine being a student at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and bumping into actor Jerry O’Connell. Your first thought might be that he’s at the school’s orientation because he’s researching a future film role. Wrong. The 35-year-old Hollywood hottie has gone back to school… for real. According to reports, O’Connell is enrolled as a part-time student and started night classes earlier this week. O’Connell, who has been playing Mr. Mom to 8-month-old twin daughters while his actress wife Rebecca Romijn works, revealed that while he … Continue reading →

Early Childhood Education—Is the U.S. Doing Enough?

Michelle Bachelet used to treat children whose parents had been tortured by General Augusto Pinochet, one of the most controversial military dictators in Chilean history. Today, Bachelet is Chile’s president, and since she took office in March 2006 she has made great strides to insure her country’s youngsters receive a proper education. One of Bachelet’s defining projects has been to provide free access to health and education programs for all Chileans under the age of 4. As part of the education initiative Chile has been building new preschools at an astounding rate of 2.5 a day, increasing the country’s total … Continue reading →

Developing a Back-to-School Plan

Whether your kids are in high school or just starting kindergarten, it’s important to start off the new school year with a plan in place. Kids don’t typically embrace the end of summer with enthusiasm; so to ensure that the transition from carefree playtime to structured class time is problem-free, consider familiarizing your kids with the following points before the first day of school: FIRST DAY BLUES To avoid back-to-school blues and quell uneasiness about the new year remind your child that she is not the only student who might be anxious about the first day of school. Make your … Continue reading →

Back-to-School Reminders

It may well be the most twisted example of irony parents experience each year: Interrupting a perfectly gorgeous summer day to go back-to-school shopping. And while the chore could be completed in September, waiting to the last minute typically results in nervous breakdowns that could have been avoided had you just gotten out of the pool and into Target in August. In addition to purchasing school supplies, it’s a good idea to check off some other back-to-class tasks, such as reviewing safety rules with your kids. Here are some reminders to get you started: TRAVELING TO AND FROM SCHOOL Walking: … Continue reading →